Coffee tastes bad? Maybe you don’t know what good coffee is

Coffee has become an indispensable drink for many office workers every day. For a severe coffee addict like me, I rely on coffee to "turn on" my brain in the morning, and I cannot do without it for meetings in the afternoon.

Maybe you already know that instant coffee is bad and creamer is unhealthy; you also know that most coffee shops are mainly places for conversation, and people don’t go there to “taste” coffee…

But what makes a “good” coffee?

▲ Can you recognize that this is a coffee fruit?

• Why do many businesses emphasize that they use Arabica beans ?
• What effect does light, medium, or dark roasting have on the taste of coffee?
• Is specialty coffee better than machine-brewed coffee?

Today's small popular science article can help you quickly learn about coffee. At the end of the article, there are also recommendations and benefits for those who want to spend money, so be sure to read it patiently!

Just like only high-quality wool can be used to weave a soft and comfortable sweater, a good cup of coffee ultimately comes down to the quality of the beans.

There is a saying in the circle that the quality of raw beans determines 60% of the final quality of the coffee, roasting will affect 30%, and production will play a role in about 10%.

There are two common types of coffee beans on the market, Arabica and Robusta. The latter is cheap and has a high caffeine concentration, and was once the mainstay of most instant coffees. However, most of the higher-quality coffees now use Arabica beans.

The following table will give you a quick overview of the advantages, disadvantages and features of the two:

High altitude is often considered an important criterion for the taste of crops. Because the temperature difference between morning and evening is large and the sunshine time is long, more water and sugar can be retained and the maturity period is longer.

▲ Coffee farmers picking coffee

Arabica only grows on high-altitude mountain slopes and is more susceptible to leaf rust and anthracnose than Robusta, so it requires more careful care.

At this point, you will definitely understand why many businesses emphasize that the beans they choose are Arabica beans, because they are indeed of more noble origin and better quality.

The simplest and most basic principle is that the fresher the coffee is roasted, the better it tastes. If the coffee you drink tastes sour, bitter, or burnt, it is likely that it has been stored for too long. Generally, the best tasting period for coffee is within 1-2 months , so try to follow this principle when choosing coffee.

▲ Coffee being roasted

What effect will different degrees of roasting have on the taste? Let me give you a summary table:

Simply put, light roasting can better preserve the floral and fruity aroma of coffee as a crop, while medium roasting can enhance the aroma of nuts and caramel , and dark roasting can best highlight the woody aroma .

As the degree of roasting deepens, the taste of the coffee itself is less retained. Therefore, if you want a softer and more balanced taste, it is safer to choose a light medium roast to medium dark roast .

Yunnan small-grain coffee , a native Arabica bean variety from the high-altitude areas of Pu'er and Baoshan in Yunnan.

Yunfei Coffee chooses medium-dark roasting, which not only retains the natural flavor of the blended beans themselves, but also highlights the caramel texture, making the taste more fragrant.

The unique sour, bitter, sweet and mellow tastes of coffee are perfectly blended, with rich layers of nutty aroma and fresh floral and fruity aroma. It turns when you take it in, stirring the tip of your tongue, and it is as smooth as silk, with a sweet aftertaste. It is the best choice for making all kinds of coffee drinks.